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Agent Smith
Agent Smith (later simply "Smith") is an Agent of the Matrix. After being initially destroyed by Neo, he became an Exile program and manifested as a computer virus. Smith is the central antagonist of the Matrix trilogy. As an Agent of the System tutors Neo about Agents in the Construct using Smith as an example]] According to Morpheus, Smith is an Agent of the system. Like other Agents, Smith's role is to police and mantain the Matrix by eliminating potential threats to the stability of the system such as redpills and defective programs. Smith serves as the primary antagonist, and is personified as stern, serious and nigh invincible. The name "Smith" is explicitly attributed (as "IS 5416" on the license plate of Smith's car The Matrix Reloaded) to a passage in the Old Testament: Isaiah 54:16 The dialectical opposition between Smith and Neo is a strong indication of what their respective characters represent. Smith is pitiless and single-minded, focused on finality, conformity and inevitability. As such, Smith represents determinism. By contrast, Neo, with his unpredictable, emotional human nature, represents unbounded free will and the power of choice. Neo's solitary role as The One is contrasted by Smith, who, by replicating himself, becomes 'the many'. When Neo asks the Oracle about Smith, the Oracle explains that Smith is Neo's opposite and his negative. Departure from the norm Smith is significantly more individualistic than the other agents from the start, seeming far more intelligent, emotional and destructive. Other Agents rarely act without consulting each other via their earpieces, although Smith far more often uses his to issue orders or gather information before acting at his own discretion. It is notable that when interrogating Morpheus, Smith sends his collegues from the room, then removes his earpiece, severing his communication with his fellow Agents before expressing his opinion of both humanity and the Matrix. Ironically, having removed his earpiece, he missed information about Neo and Trinity breaking into their building. Smith states with audible venom that he despises the Matrix and its inhabitants due to the smell, although this likely serves as a metaphore in addition to its literal meaning. Smith has a strong hatred of humans and their weakness of the flesh, and compares humanity to a virus that replicates uncontrollably and would eventually destroy their environment. Ironically, Smith himself later manifests as a self-replicating virus that spreads throughout the Matrix. During Morpheus' interrogation, Smith also states that he secretly despises the Matrix itself and is desperate to escape, feeling that he is as much a prisoner as the humans he is tasked with watching over. His seemingly personal hatred of humans clashes with his Agent counterparts, who view humanity with general apathy. He later develops an immense desire for the destruction of both mankind and machines alike, and it is stated by the Oracle that Smith's ultimate desire is the destruction of all of existence. Smith appears to function as the leader of his Agent collegues, and has the authority to launch Sentinel attacks in the real world. Unlike other Agents, Smith does not approach problems through a pragmatic point of view, but rather with brute force and apparent rage. However, he does seem to calculate where his targets will flee to rather than persuing them directly. This is supported by the fact that, while Brown tried chased Trinity across the rooftops and ultimately failed to capture her, Smith tracked her movements and took control of the driver of a garbage truck near Trinity's exit, only failing to kill her by a very narrow margin. He also demonstrates his ability to predict in the climax when he abandons chasing Neo as soon as he draws near the Heart O' The City Hotel. After escaping Brown and Jones, Neo enters room 303 only to be shot and killed by Smith. Smith also seems to have sadistic tendencies, as he mentioned that he watched Neo die with a certain amount of satisfaction. Smith's gradual "humanization" is a process that mirrored and balanced Neo's own increasing power and understanding of the machine world.Wachowski brothers commentary Free Agency Agent Smith initially appeared to have been destroyed by Neo, but makes a calculated return with somewhat altered abilities and motivations, in addition to dropping his Agent status. His appearance has changed as well; wearing more angular sunglasses and a black suit instead of typical dark green worn by Agents. Smith also lacks the characteristic earpiece worn by Agents, showing he is now "unplugged". Smith loses his ability to phase into any body connected to the Matrix at will, as he is no longer directly a part of the system. Instead, Smith now forces his hand into the abdomen of another entity in the Matrix, and converts them into a copy of himself, replicating in much same the way as a computer virus. As a result of being partially overwritten by The One, Smith also begins to exhibit stronger, more virulent human behaviors and emotions such as unpredictability and dry humor, which is a clear departure from his original stern demeanor. He makes the claim that Neo has set him free, indicating that he now has not only the vision but also the ability to break free of the machines' control and exist as a singular being. He is now allied with no one but himself, rendering him an outlaw to both the Matrix and the human minds which populate it. Being free of burden, however, Smith is also compelled to feel that he is still crushed by the weight of purpose. He essentially correlates purpose with imprisonment, and because he still exists within The Matrix, there is an unseen purpose which binds together Neo and himself. Smith therefore became a "fallen Agent". Against the Anomaly Eventually, Smith's presence in the Matrix had consumed all of the "Core Network" (the underlying foundation of the inner workings of the Matrix), thus rendering him immutable by even the machines themselves. The Oracle explains to Neo that he and Smith have become equal in power, and that for Smith to be eliminated, the equation must be "unbalanced". Smith has already begun absorbing all the inhabitants of the Matrix; every human plugged into it, and every program functioning inside, including the Oracle. When Smith absorbs the Oracle, the process apparently grants him her powers of foresight, as well as reality-bending powers equivalent to those possessed by Neo. Towards the end of the film, Neo engages a single Smith, the one that was created from the Oracle, in a seemingly endless struggle between two forces of equal might. The other Smiths do not participate, as the Oracle-Smith explains he has foreseen that he is the Smith that will defeat Neo. In the midst of this battle, Smith explains to Neo his final nihilistic revelation that he has come to learn from Neo ("It was your life that taught me the purpose of all life.") that "the purpose of life is to end." Smith also intended to destroy the real world as well, and had Neo not defeated him, he would have likely escaped the Matrix and takrn over the machines, destroying Zion as well as the Machine City. After an arduous battle in midair, Neo is smashed into the ground by an enraged Smith, making a large impact crater. Smith is perplexed as to why Neo fights, as they both have seen the outcome of the fight. Smith asks Neo why he persists when he knows he will lose: "Is it freedom or truth? Perhaps peace? Could it be for love?", reasons which he believes are "temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose, and all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why, why, why do you persist?" Smith is enraged by Neo's simple and irrational answer: "Because I choose to". Ultimately, Smith prevails, beating Neo unconscious. Suddenly recognizing the prophecy, he stands before Neo and says, "Wait... I've seen this... This is it, this is the end! Yes, you were lying right there just like that and I... I... I stand here, right here and I'm... supposed to say something..." In a moment of confusion, Smith reveals that he is merely following what the prophecy tells him he should do. In spite of his gaining the Oracle's vision, he remains blind. He continues on, regaining his composure. "I say... Everything that has a beginning has an end, Neo". This is the only time that Smith does not call him "Mr. Anderson" to his face. In The Matrix Reloaded, Smith says he's "looking for Neo" - this is probably out of practicality, as most other characters have no idea who Thomas Anderson is. Smith displays noticeable confusion after this, apparently not knowing what he has just said. However, he suddenly recoils in fear, exclaiming "its a trick", as he, at least partially, realized Neo's true intentions in fighting. Neo simply responds that "You were right, Smith", as Neo would lose the fight as Smith foresaw. Smith, in an act of almost human irrationally, fought on out of hatred and hope he could escape his fate. As he always planned, Neo surrenders to Smith, who absorbs him, seemingly conquering his enemy. The "absorption" is not one-sided, with either force conquering the other. Rather, there is a union of opposites, of thesis and antithesis, leading to the synthesis of the new beginning, in which the Matrix, with its equation of oppression and control, is unbalanced. Smith's new triumph is only temporary, however. Shortly after Smith absorbs Neo, Smith is destroyed in an elaborate display of light. Neo makes a choice to let Smith absorb him. Neo is connected to the source, allowing the machines to delete Smith. MegaSmith In The Matrix: Path of Neo, the final boss is the MegaSmith. The MegaSmith was used for gameplay reasons, because though the Wachowski Brothers thought the martyr approach suitable for film, they also believed that in an interactive medium such as a video game (based upon the successful completion of goals), it was "Lame. Really lame". So, described by the brothers as, "A little Hulk versus Galactus action", this character was created to be the more appropriate "final boss" of Path of Neo. The MegaSmith is composed of destroyed buildings, cars and parts of the road, with the "spectator Smiths" standing around the crater and in the streets acting as the MegaSmith's muscles, resulting in Smith not only becoming the city's people, but the city itself. After Neo knocks Smith into the crater in the level "Aerial Battle", Smith is sent flying through the ground and up through the street. As Neo relaxes, the surrounding Smiths walk away from the crater. Neo gets out of the crater, and dodges a car which flies through the air and lands in a pile of debris. Neo looks on as Smiths tear up chunks of the road and throw cars into this pile. A truck then speeds into a building and blows it up. Smiths can be seen holding the debris together as it takes on a thirty-story tall humanoid form which is then struck by lightning, powering it up. Neo flies up to watch as the giant humanoid lowers its head onto its shoulders. The giant Smith then pulls a pair of giant Smith Shades from a billboard and puts them on. He smirks, then the fight begins. After the fight, Neo flies straight into MegaSmith's mouth, causing the Smiths throughout the Matrix to overload and explode. We then cut to a shot seen in The Matrix: Revolutions of the streets shining with light from the destroyed Smiths. Powers *Smith gains the power to copy over other Agents. *Smith is also able to copy over redpills, something regular Agents cannot do. When this occurs, he can inhabit their physical bodies when he jacks out of the Matrix, as in the case of Bane. **Fortunately, most redpills were in Zion at the time of Smith's return, making Bane the only one possessed by Smith. However, Smith was nearly successful when he attempted to absorb Niobe and Ghost, two other redpills. Like Neo, they were able to repel the attack and managed to elude Smith. Also, he is briefly seen attempting to copy over Morpheus, but is stopped by Neo. Appearance and manners The manner in which Smith speaks is similar to that of the late Carl Sagan.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlpyGhABXRA There are also noticeable pauses ]] at odd places in his sentences. Agent Smith's weapon of choice, as standard for all Agents of the Matrix, the notably large Desert Eagle, likely chambered for the .357 Magnum rounds, counting the number of times he fires his weapon on a single magazine. Unlike others, Smith almost always refers to Neo as "Mr. Anderson." This may be to discourage Neo from the concept of his freedom from the Matrix, although it may simply be an aspect of Smith's personality. Trivia *In The Matrix, he explains his disgust for the viral nature of humans. Ironically, he himself later shows the same traits, replicating himself and consuming all life within the Matrix. **Though it should be noted that he was behaving more as a cancer than a virus. He was a like an infected cell that infects other cells. **His behaviour can also be compared to a computer virus, which replicates itself over other files, thus exhausting memory. References Category:Characters S Category:Exile Characters Category:Machinists Category:The Matrix Category:Deceased Characters Category:Enter the Matrix Category:Viruses